Real Madrid 2023/24 season preview: what shape are Los Blancos in before LaLiga starts?

Pre-season is but a distant memory and the real action is about to get underway in LaLiga, with Real Madrid kicking off their domestic campaign with a tough trip to Bilbao to face Athletic Club on Saturday (kick-off at 3:30 p.m. ET). The time for trying things out is over, with Carlo Ancelotti well aware that from now on, there will be precious little room for error, with every point crucial in the race for the title.

Mixed results for Madrid on US tour

Victories in the United States against AC Milan and Manchester United offered plenty of hope ahead of the new season, with Jude Bellingham hitting the ground running, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Eduardo Camavinga linking up well together in midfield and Fran García impressing at left-back.

However, subsequent defeats to Barcelona and Juventus exposed some worrying weaknesses. Due to ongoing renovation work at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Los Blancos begin their league season with three away fixtures, with the visit to Athletic the toughest of them on paper (Almería and Celta Vigo follow). Ancelotti and his charges will have to be on form from the off to ensure they aren’t tripped up by a tough start, which will demonstrate whether lessons have been learned from those last two warm-up matches.

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Over-dependence on Vinícius in attack

There is little doubt that Vinícius Júnior will carry Madrid’s main attacking threat this season, especially with Karim Benzema no longer at the club. The Brazilian winger is unstoppable on his day and proved during the US tour that he can decide matches almost on his own on the counterattack.

But the danger is Ancelotti’s team will be too dependent on the 23-year-old in the final third and his new-found calmness in front of goal could be put to the ultimate test, with Benzema not having been replaced by an elite-level striker.

“Other players are going to have to step up after Benzema’s departure”, said goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in a recent interview. Rodrygo is likely to be a first pick in attack alongside his compatriot but failed to find the net in pre-season. Summer signing Joselu scored a superb bicycle kick against Manchester United but wasted a number of other chances. The likes of Fede Valverde and Bellingham, who both netted in the US, will be expected to chip in with goals from midfield in LaLiga too.

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Madrid’s defensive frailty

Defensive struggles were a problem at times last season, with Ancelotti declaring in April: “I have to reiterate the importance of defensive commitment: if we have it, we will always win and if not, it will cost us. It is key”.

Nothing is likely to change much on that front this term, although Los Merengues have the additional challenge of having to implement the defensive side of a new system. The Italian, however, is optimistic the change will be a smooth one: “It’s the easiest thing to improve. More than anything, it’s a question of positioning, concentration and attitude”, he said after the loss to Juve.

Ancelotti’s new formation

The players Ancelotti has at his disposal for 2023/24 have convinced him to switch from 4-3-3 to 4-3-1-2. The Madrid boss will, however, be pragmatic if the new formation causes issues: “If it doesn’t work out, we always have the old system that brought us so success much in the past,” he said before the first pre-season training session at UCLA. Two years ago, after a defeat to Espanyol, the Italian backtracked on an attempt to switch away from the 4-3-3 formation. This year, it remains a case of wait and see.

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Do Modric and Kroos start in the Madrid midfield?

Midfield is the area of the team that has the greatest competition for places, which may allow veteran duo Luka Modric and Toni Kroos to be rested when the need arises. Last season, there were only eight matches (out of 60) in which neither of the two thirty-somethings started, although they were both on the bench for El Clásico in Dallas. How much should we read into a pre-season game? Bellingham is a assured of a starting spot at the top of the diamond, while Camavinga also looks certain to play. The other two midfield spots appear to be up for grabs.

The importance of squad depth

Three players (Eden Hazrad, Mariano Díaz and Jesús Vallejo) who weren’t in Ancelotti’s plans left the club this summer, while García, Joselu, Brahim Díaz and Arda Güler have arrived and, along with the likes of Nacho, Lucas Vázquez and Dani Ceballos, will be key squad players expected to perform when called upon.

Which players won’t play against Athletic?

Ancelotti has a matter of days to put the finishing touches to the team before LaLiga gets underway. After three days off following the US tour, the team returned to training on Sunday ahead of the game against Athletic. The Italian has six sessions remaining to prepare for the trip to the Basque Country, which is unlikely to be repeated too often once the Champions League gets underway in September. Ferland Mendy, Ceballos and Güler are the only players not expected to be available as the LaLiga season gets underway.